오늘의 단상_성경의 영감과 예언의 정확성

 

안녕하세요, 성경 연구를 사랑하는 여러분!오늘은 성경의 영감과 예언의 정확성에 대해 깊이 있게 살펴보려고 합니다. 성경이 어떻게 하나님의 말씀으로서 초자연적으로 구성되었는지, 그리고 수백 년 전에 쓰여진 예언들이 어떻게 정확히 성취되었는지 함께 알아보겠습니다.다니엘서, 에스겔서, 요한계시록 등의 예언서들이 어떻게 서로 완벽하게 맞아떨어지는지, 그리고 구약과 신약이 어떻게 하나의 일관된 메시지를 전하는지 살펴볼 것입니다.이 글을 통해 여러분의 믿음이 더욱 굳건해지고, 하나님의 말씀에 대한 확신이 깊어지기를 소망합니다.

 

1. The Inspiration of Scripture:

 

2 Timothy 3:16 (KJV): "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"

 

"모든 성경은 하나님의 감동으로 된 것으로 교훈과 책망과 바르게 함과 의로 교육하기에 유익하니"

 

2 Peter 1:21 (KJV): "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."

 

"예언은 언제든지 사람의 뜻으로 낸 것이 아니요 오직 성령의 감동하심을 받은 사람들이 하나님께 받아 말한 것임이라"

 

Psalm 119:160 (KJV): "Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever."

 

"주의 말씀의 강령은 진리이오니 주의 의로운 모든 규례가 영원하리이다"

 

Psalm 12:6 (KJV): "The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times."

 

"여호와의 말씀은 순결함이여 흙 도가니에 일곱 번 단련한 은 같도다"

 

2. Prophetic Fulfillment:

 

Isaiah 46:9-10 (KJV): "Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:"

 

"너희는 옛적 일을 기억하라 나는 하나님이라 나 외에 다른 이가 없느니라 나는 하나님이라 나 같은 이가 없느니라 내가 종말을 처음부터 고하며 아직 이루지 아니한 일을 옛적부터 보이고 이르기를 나의 모든 뜻이 설 것이니 내가 나의 모든 기뻐하는 것을 이루리라 하였노라"

 

2 Peter 1:19 (KJV): "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:"

 

"또 우리에게 더 확실한 예언이 있어 어두운 데서 비치는 등불과 같으니 날이 새어 샛별이 너희 마음에 떠오르기까지 너희가 이것을 주의하는 것이 옳으니라"

 

Luke 24:44 (KJV): "And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me."

 

"또 이르시되 내가 너희와 함께 있을 때에 너희에게 말한 바 곧 모세의 율법과 선지자의 글과 시편에 나를 가리켜 기록된 모든 것이 이루어져야 하리라 한 말이 이것이라 하시고"

 

Matthew 5:17 (KJV): "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil."

 

"내가 율법이나 선지자를 폐하러 온 줄로 생각하지 말라 폐하러 온 것이 아니요 완전하게 하려 함이로라"

 

3. Israel's Enduring Identity:

 

Genesis 17:7 (KJV): "And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee."

 

"내가 내 언약을 나와 너와 네 대대 후손 사이에 세워 영원한 언약을 삼고 너와 네 후손의 하나님이 되리라"

 

Jeremiah 31:35-36 (KJV): "Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name: If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever."

 

"여호와께서 이같이 말씀하시니라 그는 해를 낮의 빛으로 주셨고 달과 별들을 밤의 빛으로 정하였고 바다를 격동시켜 그 파도로 소리치게 하시는 이시니 그의 이름은 만군의 여호와시니라 이 법도가 내 앞에서 폐할진대 이스라엘 자손도 내 앞에서 끊어져 영원히 나라가 되지 못하리라 여호와의 말씀이니라"

 

Jeremiah 30:11 (KJV): "For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished."

 

"여호와의 말씀이니라 내가 너와 함께 있어 너를 구원할 것이라 내가 너를 흩었던 그 모든 나라를 멸망시키리라 그럴지라도 너는 멸망시키지 아니하고 공의로 징계할 것이요 결코 무죄한 자로 여기지 아니하리라"

 

Romans 11:1 (KJV): "I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin."

 

"그러므로 내가 말하노니 하나님이 자기 백성을 버리셨느냐 그럴 수 없느니라 나도 이스라엘인이요 아브라함의 씨에서 난 자요 베냐민 지파라"

 

4. Daniel's Prophecy:

 

Daniel 9:24 (KJV): "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy."

 

"네 백성과 네 거룩한 성을 위하여 칠십 이레를 기한으로 정하였나니 허물이 그치며 죄가 끝나며 죄악이 용서되며 영원한 의가 드러나며 환상과 예언이 응하며 또 지극히 거룩한 이가 기름 부음을 받으리라"

 

Daniel 9:25 (KJV): "Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times."

 

"그러므로 너는 깨달아 알지니라 예루살렘을 중건하라는 영이 날 때부터 기름 부음을 받은 자 곧 왕이 일어나기까지 일곱 이레와 육십이 이레가 지날 것이요 그 때 곤란한 동안에 성이 중건되어 광장과 거리가 세워지리라"

 

Daniel 9:26 (KJV): "And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined."

 

"육십이 이레 후에 기름 부음을 받은 자가 끊어져 없어질 것이며 장차 한 왕의 백성이 와서 그 성읍과 성소를 파괴하려니와 그의 마지막은 홍수에 휩쓸림 같을 것이며 또 끝까지 전쟁이 있으리니 황폐할 것이 작정되었느니라"

 

Daniel 9:27 (KJV): "And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."

 

"그가 장차 많은 사람들과 더불어 한 이레 동안의 언약을 굳게 맺고 그가 그 이레의 절반에 제사와 예물을 금지할 것이며 또 포악하여 가증한 것이 날개를 의지하여 설 것이며 또 이미 정한 종말까지 진노가 황폐하게 하는 자에게 쏟아지리라 하였느니라"

 

5. The Role of the Anti-Christ:

 

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 (KJV): "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God."

 

"누가 어떻게 하여도 너희가 미혹되지 말라 먼저 배교하는 일이 있고 저 불법의 사람 곧 멸망의 아들이 나타나기 전에는 그 날이 이르지 아니하리니 그는 대적하는 자라 신이라고 불리는 모든 것과 숭배함을 받는 것에 대항하여 그 위에 자기를 높이고 하나님의 성전에 앉아 자기를 하나님이라고 내세우느니라"

 

2 Thessalonians 2:8-9 (KJV): "And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,"

 

"그 때에 불법한 자가 나타나리니 주 예수께서 그 입의 기운으로 그를 죽이시고 강림하여 나타나심으로 폐하시리라 악한 자의 나타남은 사탄의 활동을 따라 모든 능력과 표적과 거짓 기적과"

 

Revelation 13:5 (KJV): "And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months."

 

"또 짐승이 과장되고 신성모독을 말하는 입을 받고 또 마흔두 달 동안 일할 권세를 받으니라"

 

Daniel 7:25 (KJV): "And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time."

 

"그가 장차 지극히 높으신 이를 말로 대적하며 또 지극히 높으신 이의 성도를 괴롭게 할 것이며 그가 또 때와 법을 고치고자 할 것이며 성도들은 그의 손에 붙인 바 되어 한 때와 두 때와 반 때를 지내리라"

 

6. Jesus' Validation of Daniel:

 

Matthew 24:15 (KJV): "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)"

 

"그러므로 너희가 선지자 다니엘이 말한 바 멸망의 가증한 것이 거룩한 곳에 선 것을 보거든 (읽는 자는 깨달을진저)"

 

Matthew 24:21 (KJV): "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be."

 

"이는 그 때에 큰 환난이 있겠음이라 창세로부터 지금까지 이런 환난이 없었고 후에도 없으리라"

 

Matthew 24:22 (KJV): "And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened."

 

"그 날들을 감하지 아니하면 모든 육체가 구원을 얻지 못할 것이나 그러나 택하신 자들을 위하여 그 날들을 감하시리라"

 

Mark 13:14 (KJV): "But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:"

 

"멸망의 가증한 것이 서지 못할 곳에 선 것을 보거든 (읽는 자는 깨달을진저) 그 때에 유대에 있는 자들은 산으로 도망할지어다"

 

7. Historical Context of Prophecy:

 

1 Corinthians 10:11 (KJV): "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come."

 

"그들에게 일어난 이런 일은 본보기가 되고 또한 말세를 만난 우리를 깨우치기 위하여 기록되었느니라"

 

Romans 15:4 (KJV): "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope."

 

"무엇이든지 전에 기록된 바는 우리의 교훈을 위하여 기록된 것이니 우리로 하여금 인내로 또는 성경의 위로로 소망을 가지게 함이니라"

 

Ephesians 3:5 (KJV): "Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;"

 

"이는 다른 세대에서는 사람의 아들들에게 알리지 아니하셨으나 이제는 그의 거룩한 사도들과 선지자들에게 성령으로 나타내신 것이라"

 

1 Peter 1:10 (KJV): "Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:"

 

"이 구원에 대하여는 너희에게 임할 은혜를 예언하던 선지자들이 연구하고 부지런히 살펴서"

 

8. Symbolism in Prophetic Literature:

 

Revelation 4:6 (KJV): "And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind."

 

"또 보좌 앞에 수정과 같은 유리 바다가 있고 보좌 가운데와 보좌 주위에 네 생물이 있는데 앞뒤에 눈이 가득하더라"

 

Revelation 4:7 (KJV): "And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle."

 

"첫째 생물은 사자 같고 둘째 생물은 송아지 같고 셋째 생물은 얼굴이 사람 같고 넷째 생물은 날아가는 독수리 같은데"

 

Revelation 5:1 (KJV): "And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals."

 

"내가 보매 보좌에 앉으신 이의 오른손에 책이 있으니 안팎으로 썼고 일곱 인으로 봉하였더라"

 

Revelation 5:6 (KJV): "And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth."

 

"내가 또 보니 보좌와 네 생물과 장로들 사이에 어린 양이 서 있는데 일찍 죽임을 당한 것 같더라 일곱 뿔과 일곱 눈이 있으니 이 눈은 온 땅에 보내심을 받은 하나님의 일곱 영이더라"

 

9. The Connection Between Old and New Testaments:

 

Matthew 5:17 (KJV): "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil."

 

"내가 율법이나 선지자를 폐하러 온 줄로 생각하지 말라 폐하러 온 것이 아니요 완전하게 하려 함이라"

 

Matthew 5:18 (KJV): "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."

 

"진실로 너희에게 이르노니 천지가 없어지기 전에는 율법의 일점 일획도 결코 없어지지 아니하고 다 이루리라"

 

Luke 24:27 (KJV): "And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself."

 

"이에 모세와 모든 선지자의 글로 시작하여 모든 성경에 쓴 바 자기에 관한 것을 자세히 설명하시니라"

 

Luke 24:44 (KJV): "And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me."

 

"또 이르시되 내가 너희와 함께 있을 때에 너희에게 말한 바 곧 모세의 율법과 선지자의 글과 시편에 나를 가리켜 기록된 모든 것이 이루어져야 하리라 한 말이 이것이라 하시고"

 

10. The Supernatural Nature of Scripture:

 

Hebrews 4:12 (KJV): "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

 

"하나님의 말씀은 살아 있고 활력이 있어 좌우에 날선 어떤 검보다도 예리하여 혼과 영과 및 관절과 골수를 찔러 쪼개기까지 하며 또 마음의 생각과 뜻을 판단하나니"

 

2 Peter 1:20 (KJV): "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation."

 

"먼저 알 것은 성경의 모든 예언은 사사로이 풀 것이 아니니"

 

2 Peter 1:21 (KJV): "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."

 

"예언은 언제든지 사람의 뜻으로 낸 것이 아니요 오직 성령의 감동하심을 받은 사람들이 하나님께 받아 말한 것임이라"

 

2 Timothy 3:16 (KJV): "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"

 

"모든 성경은 하나님의 감동으로 된 것으로 교훈과 책망과 바르게 함과 의로 교육하기에 유익하니"

 

마무리

 

지금까지 성경의 영감과 예언의 정확성에 대해 살펴보았습니다. 성경이 얼마나 정교하게 짜여 있는지, 그리고 예언들이 어떻게 정확히 성취되었는지 보면서 놀라지 않을 수 없습니다.이런 사실들은 우리에게 성경이 진정 하나님의 말씀이며, 우리가 온전히 신뢰할 수 있는 책이라는 확신을 줍니다.

 

앞으로도 계속해서 성경을 공부하고 묵상하면서, 하나님의 지혜와 계획을 더 깊이 이해할 수 있기를 바랍니다.여러분의 삶 속에서 하나님의 말씀이 살아 역사하기를 기도합니다. 다음 포스팅에서 또 다른 흥미로운 주제로 찾아뵙겠습니다. 감사합니다!

 

(1a) How do we know the Bible is really the inspired word of God ?

Editor's Note: Together, the two excerpts from Book 6 below, illustrate two key points. (1) The Bible contains prophecies of future events written hundreds (and sometimes even thousands) of years in advance which have been fulfilled and/or are still being fulfilled today. (2) God has a long-term prophetic plan for the nation of Israel which will be fulfilled. God has kept them alive as a nation, despite the efforts of many powerful nations to destroy them.

Book 6 LESSON TWO * PART III

Let’s go back to Daniel Chapter 9. We’ll see if we can finish down to verse 27 in this lesson, in order to validate this seven- year period of time as definitely in our future (not our future, because we’re going to be gone, but in the future of the planet).

Daniel 9:24

"Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy."

That "seventy weeks are determined upon thy people,..." and that word ‘weeks’ here is used as we would use, ‘dozen.’ If I would say so many dozen, what would you automatically do? You would multiply it by 12. A week is always seven, and so seventy weeks of years is (a lot of the new translations have already calculated it for you and what have they got?) 490 years. "Four hundred and ninety years are determined upon thy people..." Daniel’s people. And who are Daniel’s people? The Jew - Israel. "...and upon thy holy city, (Jerusalem) to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity,..." That all took place when? When Christ died on the Cross. And you remember several lessons ago this was one of the verses that we split with a parenthesis and a dash, because the next part of this verse is still future. It didn’t happen at Christ’s first coming. "...that is to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy." That hasn’t happened yet. It will when He returns and sets up His kingdom, but it didn’t happen at His first coming.

Come down through these next verses, but what you really figure out here that even though 490 years were in God’s time table back here for the Nation of Israel, leading up to the rejection of The Messiah, would only total 483 years. Which means that there are seven years left that were not fulfilled at Christ’s first coming.

Chronologists and archaeologists have teamed up and they have actually found the decree that Daniel mentions here, that gave the Jew permission to go back after their Temple had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar; it was dated, and from that date, it was March 14, 445 BC, up until Palm Sunday, was exactly 483 years. That was fulfilled. But, the prophecy said 490 years. And so that’s why Bible scholars have sometime referred to the Tribulation as Daniel’s 70th week. Sixty-nine of them were fulfilled at the Cross, but the 70th week, or that final seven years is still unfulfilled. It’s been pushed out into the future. Let’s drop down to verse 27, it says, "...And he (the Anti-christ) shall confirm the covenant with many for seven years." Now, there is the triggering mechanism for the Tribulation!

Book 6 LESSON THREE * PART I

Turn to Matthew 24, for a quick review of our last lesson, where we left off with Jesus telling the Twelve the events of the Tribulation: Matthew 24:15

"When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand)."

He makes a tremendous statement that gives veracity to the Book of Daniel -- a book that has probably been under more attack by the scoffers and the liberals than any other book in The Bible, except maybe Genesis. But, here in Matthew 24, Jesus puts his stamp of approval upon the prophet Daniel. "When ye therefore,..." and remember He’s talking to the Twelve; and so He is naturally talking primarily to the Jew. Never forget that this great Tribulation period, the seven years that is spoken of throughout all the Old Testament, is referred to here by Christ. And then, of course, the road map of it is in the Book of Revelation; that seven-year period is primarily, according to Jeremiah Chapter 30, Jacob’s trouble. Which means it is primarily God dealing with the Nation of Israel after all these years of seemingly ignoring them, and yet not really. Because always remember, one of the greatest miracles of the whole human race is the Nation of Israel. They should have been long gone, but here they are after over 4,000 years of history; and more than one government, more than one empire, more than one king has tried to obliterate them. And yet, here they are.

I’m reminded of an anecdote I read years ago that during the time of Bismarck, I think it was, and the Prussian empire, he was an unbeliever and almost an agnostic, had one of his top generals who was a very devout believer. And so, one day as he was conducting his inspection, he came to this general and sneeringly said, "General, tell me why do you still believe The Bible? Tell me in one or two words." And the general, without a pause, said, "Sir, the Jew." And you see that is. The proof of this Book is the Nation of Israel. God is not through with them. He is still bringing them back to the land and that’s why we’re seeing this mass emigration into that little postage stamp piece of real estate, because God’s getting ready to again pick up where He left off with His favored nation.

Now, here in Matthew 24, verse 15, He says to the Twelve, "when ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (that would be in the Temple) whoso readeth, let him understand." Let’s go back to Daniel and pick up again those verses that Jesus was referring to, so we can tie it all together. Now, as I was driving up here for our lesson today, I was trying to sort things out in my own mind, because this is not just a short lesson, and we can go on to another subject some other time. We’re trying to teach the whole scope of Scripture from Genesis through Revelation, and not in just bits and pieces; not as a shotgun approach, but we’re trying to tie everything together. And I’ve known in my classes when people have gone through Genesis to Revelation four, five, six times with me; every time they will pick up things that they’ve never caught before. I used to apologize for reviewing, but I don’t anymore, because every time I review, I know that somebody picks up a little bit that they’ve either forgotten, or they’ve never actually tied together. So, let’s look at Daniel 9:24:

Daniel 9:24

"Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy."

We’re again dealing with the Nation of Israel; it’s Old Testament, and some may say, "Wait a minute, you mean that the Old Testament isn’t for us?" Of course it is! All Scripture is by inspiration and is profitable. So, we don’t put lines through any of it. But, I maintain that you have to be aware to whom the particular passage was directed. And so, here again, Daniel makes it so plain that "seventy weeks," or seventy weeks of years, or 490 years, "are determined upon thy people." God is speaking, of course, through the prophets. So, who are Daniel’s people? Well, the Jew – Israel – the nation. "and upon thy holy city," (Jerusalem), "to finish the transgression and to make and end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity." Of course, that all took place at the Cross.

That’s where sin was paid for, and all these things came to their culmination. But, on the other hand, there’s still some time to go on after the Cross and the verse continues on, "...to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy." This is not an in depth study on prophecy; we’re still going to go back to Genesis soon. But as I mentioned the last lesson, we’ve had so many requests to go back and spend a little time on end-time things, because we are getting so close to it all. And I agreed heartily, because, when I look at how long it’s taken to go through the first 24 verses of Genesis, I’m honestly convinced that we won’t be here long enough to finish the whole book. We’ll be gone before it’s all gone. So, we are just taking a brief overview.

Daniel 9:25,26

"Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times: And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined."

So then, here in verse 25 & 26, we see that these 490 years are broken down into a period that would be 483 years. Remember, that Abraham, the beginning of the Jewish nation, began about 2,000 BC. The Cross would be in the middle. Now, in this passage of Daniel, he is speaking of 483 years that would transpire from the decree from the king, which we find in Nehemiah 2. That decree was found to be dated in 445 BC. If I remember right, the date was March 14. All you have do is remember a scriptural year is 360 days, not 365. It’s twelve months of 30 days, or 360 days. But you still have to compensate for those 5 days and leap years, so you just punch it out in your calculator, even with our present day calendar, from 445 BC, archaeologists have found this. It’s not just pulled out of a hat. From 445 BC until the year of the Crucifixion, as I calculate it, comes to within about one year. And there can easily be that much difference in calendarization and so forth. So always remember that the Scripture is so accurate. Nothing is guesswork. And if there is a discrepancy, it is ours, not God's.

So, anyway, Daniel has determined that there would be 483 years from that decree of Nehemiah 2 until the Crucifixion. But, the total years that God was going to deal with Israel was 490. So, if 483 took place up to the Cross, that means there is seven years left. And consequently, most Bible scholars, and those who do a lot of writing, will refer to the seven-year period as Daniel’s seventieth week. Sixty-nine were fulfilled at the Cross. God’s clock stopped, and the last seven years are still ahead of us. They still have to be fulfilled. Now, then, as you go into verse 26, it speaks of a coming prince. "After the threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off (at the Crucifixion),but not for himself," He didn’t die because of anything He had done. He died for us, "and the people," (now here’s where you have watch carefully as you read), "...the people of the prince that shall come,..." Now, the prince that shall come is a small letter "p," and is the reference to what we call the Anti-christ. Christ is the Prince and He would be capitalized.

But, this prince is a small letter, and it’s a reference to the counterfeit christ, the Anti-christ, and it’s the people out of which he will one day come that will destroy the Temple. And we know that was done by the Roman general, Titus, in 70 AD. So, that verse tells us at the time of the Anti-christ’s appearance, he will have to come out of the geographical area that comprises the ancient Roman empire. And it’s coming to pass right before our eyes. It’s basically the European Community, which by the end of this year, they hope to be able to call a Federation of Europe, or a United States of Europe. And so, the geographical part of it is already in place; that somewhere out of that revived Roman empire this prince will make his appearance.

Book 10 LESSON ONE * PART I

Editor's Note: These next two sections explain how the various books of prophecy written hundreds of years apart fit perfectly together, and play a critical part in the interpretation of each other. This is even more amazing when one considers that the writers of Scripture often did not understand the meaning of these things when they wrote them.

NEBUCHADNEZZAR AND DREAM (DANIEL 3)

We trust that as you study with us that you will find it to be as thrilling and understanding to you as it is in our classes. We have no ax to grind; we're an informal Bible study and we don't try to twist peoples arms into thinking one way or another. We just like to open the Scriptures and help people see what The Book really says. So many of us have been bound by tradition, and if there is any word in the Scripture that is condemned, it is tradition. We must be careful that we don't find ourselves locked into a tradition that is not necessarily in line with The Book. So this is our only goal; and that is to help folks see what the Bible really says.

This Book is so gloriously supernaturally put together so that there is no possible way that human hands could have done it. For example, there are three books of Prophecy written by Jews of course. But all written outside the land of Israel. Daniel, which we will be looking at, is one of them. Daniel is writing from Babylon, while he is captive there under King Nebuchadnezzar. The second one is the Book of Ezekiel which was also written from captivity in the next empire, as Ezekiel writes from Persia. And the third one is the last Book of the Bible, the Book of Revelation, written by John from the Isle of Patmos, which is in the Aegean Sea, between Turkey and Greece. Now those three Books of Prophecy also are unique in that all three write in symbolism.

Just stop and think about it. Ezekiel uses for example, The Dry Bones, The Stick, and the Fiery Wheel. All those are symbolism, but they have a literal truth. Now we come into the Book of Daniel and we will see this Great Image, with a head of gold, and a chest of silver, a belly of brass and on down its body. It's a symbolism of all the great empires that would be coming down through history. And then when you get to the Book of Revelation written by John, most people are afraid to even study the Book of Revelation. They can't understand it. And therefore won't even read it, simply because it is in symbolic language. But you see all those symbolisms are all interpreted by Scripture itself, in one place or another. And all you have to do is search the Scriptures and these things begin to fall into place.

Editor's Note: The prophecy in Daniel chapter 2 of the Great Image with the head of gold, mentioned above, foretold the fall of the great kingdom of Babylon and the future rise of the great kingdoms of Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. This teaching is not included in detail here due to its length, but a related prophecy from Daniel chapter 8 is explained below. Readers are encouraged to see Book 10 where the prophecy of the Great Image is explained in detail.

Book 6 LESSON TWO * PART II

Daniel 12:1,2

"And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt."

The previous 11 chapters have been an out-laying of prophecy. In fact, Daniel and Revelation just fit together hand in glove. You can't study Revelation without studying Daniel and vise versa. So, now, as you come into the last chapter of this great book of prophecy, Daniel writes this: "..and at that time shall Michael stand up, that great prince which standeth for the children (Israel), and there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time; and at that time thy people (Israel, the Jews) shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book." Now, this is what Paul refers to in Romans as that remnant. "...And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth,..." In other words, they have died and they've reverted back to the dust. "...many of then shall awake,..." and here we have a parallel with John's Gospel, Chapter 5, "...some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt...." Again, you've got the believer and the unbeliever listed here. Now let's skip over to verse 8:

Daniel 12:8,9

"And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, 'O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?' And he said, 'Go thy way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.'"

Daniel is saying that he heard but he understood not. Now, I've always maintained, as I've taught the Old Testament, that all Scripture is inspired of God. Peter says so clearly that prophecy came not in the old time by will of man; and, you remember, I ridiculed the concept several months ago, of these things having originated around the camp fire and then just having been handed down as legend. That's not what our Bible is at all. Our Bible is the very inspiration of the Spirit of God and as Peter says, that these holy men of God wrote as they were moved along by the Spirit. Now under those circumstances, do you think they understood everything they wrote? Why, no way! And here it's so plainly.

Look what Daniel says, after writing this great book of end-time prophecy (and he's writing it 2500 years before it happens). And look what he says in verse 8. "And I heard,..." He realized what he had been writing, but look at what he says next. "...I understood not (!)," He didn't understand what he was writing. "And I said, 'O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?'" Now, that much he could comprehend. There were some terrible times coming upon this planet. But he couldn't understand it. And so he said, "'what shall be the end of these things.'" And The Lord said, "'...go thy way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end."

I always like to look back and read about men from years ago. You will find that it wasn't until near the turn of the century that men began to get a comprehension of prophecy. Before that, there was not a clear cut teaching of how these things were going to unfold. And that's exactly what God told Daniel. It wasn't for men to understand until we get close to the end times. And now, every week, it is so much easier to understand. I know, 20 years ago, when I'd teach the Book of Revelation, it was hard to get people to understand what it was saying. Now, I can teach the Book of Revelation and people are almost running ahead of me with current events and news.

Book 11 LESSON ONE * PART I

Editor's Note: This next section shows that Daniel wrote about the rise and fall of various empires hundreds of years before they came into existence, and history shows these prophecies were fulfilled.

2 Peter 1:21

"For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man (but here is how it came about. The word "holy" means set apart. Holy men of God spake, not as they dreamed it up, not as they had remembered what they heard around a camp fire, or what had been handed down from generation to generation): but these holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."

What is this saying? Everyone of us will meet someone once in a while who will say, "I don't see how you can believe all that stuff. After all, why do you think the Bible is more right in what it teaches than the Koran or the book of Mormon?" or anything else that they may say is their guideline for doctrine. I'll tell you why. There is not another book written that makes prophetic statements like our Bible does. Hundreds, even thousands of years before they happen and they all come true. What hasn't come true, will!

This is our reason for teaching prophecy. It is to show beyond a shadow of a doubt that this Book is the Word of God. And it's prophecy that has been spoken, and fulfilled to the last jot and tittle as much of the Old Testament already has been. We have no reason to doubt that the rest of it will be. Because the same God that fulfilled the first ninety percent of prophecy, is the God that's going to finish the last ten percent. All of that is just to show why we like to spend as much time in prophecy as we do.

The main reason we are studying prophecy now, is, as we come through the Old Testament, we reach to Daniel. Let's go back to the Book of Daniel now to Chapter 8, which we skipped when we came through. But, you remember on our sojourn up through the Scriptures, starting with Genesis, we have just come right on up, unfolding our timeline, and, consequently, since Daniel is in captivity under the Babylonian empire we stopped there in our progressive revelations. But, of course, Daniel is a book of prophecy. And so, he is dealing almost entirely in his whole book with events that would happen to the Gentile world. Now, back here in Chapter 8, let me show you how accurate prophecy has been. It's already been fulfilled as you will notice starting with verse 1:

Daniel 8:1

"In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first."

And he goes on to say that he saw a vision way out there in Shushan, which was the capital of the Medes and Persian empire on the Tigris River. In this vision he's going to see the unfolding of the rather immediate history (not the long term).

Daniel 8:3

"Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last."

Everyone envisions some horrible looking creature with a horrible looking pair of horns. Let's go back to a statement I made several weeks ago. Three books of our Bible were written outside of the land of Israel. All three of them are mostly prophetic, and all three of them deal primarily with Gentile prophecy. Daniel is one of them. He writes from Shushan on the Tigris river; Ezekiel is another, he also writes from captivity; and the third Book is Revelation, when John, the Revelator, wrote from the Isle of Patmos in exile. None of those three books were written in Israel. However, they were all written by Jews, and all three wrote in symbolism. The symbolism here is that the ram was indicative of the Medes and Persian empire. In fact, their coins had the ram's head on them. The crown of the Medes and Persians had the likeness of a ram. And so, there's no doubt from history and archaeology, that Daniel is seeing the vision concerning the empire of which he was a part, and that was the Medes and Persians represented by the two horns.

The horns in Scripture always refer to kings or the top guy in control. Try to remember that, because when you get to the Book of Revelation, you are going to see this leader with ten horns. And that simply means a government with ten distinctive heads or presidents, or kings. The Medes and Persians are the two kings. One of them is the father of Cyrus. He was the one horn, but his son Cyrus became so much greater, and pushed the empire out further, that Daniel sees it as the greater of the two horns. And that's all they are, two kings, the father and son. Now, as the Medes and Persians began to expand out their empire, they enveloped the land of Israel, and they took the city of Jerusalem. Then they went down into Egypt. And then they went around the Mediterranean Sea, and started overrunning what is present day Turkey - and they were headed toward Europe. But Daniel sees something that's going to stop this Medes and Persian Empire. Verse 4:

Daniel 8:4

"I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great." They were the greatest empire on the earth at that time.

Daniel 8:5

"And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth (they're in the Middle East. The Medes and Persians are coming from the east, in the area of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. They are moving around the north side of the Mediterranean Sea, and here comes a power from the west to meet them head on. It's a he-goat, and we know from archaeology that the Grecian Empire emblem was the goat. It was on their coins and other emblems. They recognized them as the he-goat. So this he-goat came from the west), and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn (One. What was Alexander the Great? - a conqueror of one (not a consortium like the Medes and Persians). He alone arose from the Grecian Empire.) between his eyes."

Daniel 8:6

"And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power."

Let's break that verse down. "And he came to the ram" (now what do you have? Do you have a fight between two animals? No, you have a fight between two empires. So, the Grecian Empire is going to run head-on into the Medes' and Persians' Empire. And of course we know from history who won? The Greeks did. Alexander overran the Medes' and Persians' Empire, and ruled the greatest empire on earth by the time he was 33 years old. And he was also known in history as a general who conquered swiftly. He would move his armies with speed such that the then-known world knew nothing of. He would take chances, and was almost reckless in the chances that he would take. But he always seemed to come out on top. He never really lost an army.

So it was unique to Alexander the Great's military campaign. I think the word that shows that in verse 6 that many of us might miss is "ran:" but as this he-goat came he "ran;" see the indication of his swiftness and speed? "...and ran unto him in the fury of his power." Now, people read this and all they picture is a couple of animals in a wild animal fight of some kind - all it is, is two empires. Now you say, "Where do you get it?" Well, just move across the page to verse 20. And as I have said so often, Scripture always does it's own interpreting.

Daniel 8:20,21

"The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. And the rough goat is the king of Grecia (it's plain isn't it?): and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king (Alexander the Great)."

Daniel 8:22

"Now that being broken (you know what happened to him - he died; probably of alcoholism. He was only 33 years old. The great empire that Alexander the Great set up so swiftly, was immediately divided between four of his Generals. And so the empire became a quadrangle. It was no longer "one."), whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power." In other words, no longer an Alexander.

Daniel 8:23

"And in the latter time of their kingdom (these four generals), when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up."

This is an interesting little quirk of Scripture and prophecy. The little king, spoken of here as being so fierce and powerful, on the pages of secular history wasn't enough to amount to a paragraph. But he was a king who went down to Jerusalem and utterly persecuted, and put under tremendous pressure, the people of Israel. So, in God's plan of things, he becomes a prime player. But other than that, he is only a little blip on the radar of history. Let's look at this man because he is a picture, or a type of the last man of fierce countenance. He is a picture of the Anti-christ. So this is the only way we can look at the description of this Antiochus The Great. The very same descriptive words connected to him are also descriptive of this Man of Sin. I'm going to wind up with the biblical description of this world ruler that is coming on the scene (we think before much longer). Let's look at verse 24, still speaking of Antiochus The Great, in history shortly following Daniel's vision:

Daniel 8:24

"And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully (in other words, beyond human comprehension the things that he would do.), and he shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people." See, he came down and persecuted the Nation of Israel.

Daniel 8:25

"And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand (in other words he's going to be successful in his little era of history); and he shall magnify himself in his heart (this is all indicative of what the Anti-christ is going to be like thousands of years later), and by peace shall destroy many (in other words he's going to be a political manipulator, and we are going to see that in a little bit. How the man Anti-christ is going to have such charisma, he's going to have the world just really licking out of his hands, because of his charismatic personality. And this fellow was able to do the same thing): he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes (now that's capitalized, so he's actually going to stand up in the face of God, and try to fight against Him); but he shall be broken without hand."

Book 4 LESSON TWO * PART II

Editor's Note: This section illustrates that the writings of the Old Testament fit perfectly with the writings of the New Testament. And as we saw above, the writers of Scripture often did not understand the meaning of these things when they wrote them. Added to this is that fact that the Bible was written down by many different men living at different times who could not have collaborated to write this incredibly intricate Book.

Go, if you will, to Matthew 28. In our last chapter we showed that Jesus definitely referred to Himself as the `I AM,' or the Jehovah of the Old Testament account. In Matthew 28 He alludes to this title, The Most High, by virtue of what He says in verse 18:

Matthew 28:18

"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, `All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.'" He is the possessor of Heaven and earth. He is not only the Jehovah, but He is the El Elyon.

Before we go back to Genesis 14, I want to explain my ridiculous illustration. Repeatedly I will read or hear `so-called' theologians (I use the term loosely - not all of them, but too many of them) who will refer to the Bible as nothing but a compilation of Jewish myth and legends. I remember reading one who said that all this `stuff' (as he put it) in the Old Testament began as the ancient Jews sat around their campfire and exchanged stories; that after several generations someone got the idea they should be writing this stuff down. Result? The Old Testament. That's just as absurd as the illustration I gave you. When seminaries and educated men with degrees who have written their dissertations, make a statement like that, it is just as absurd as the jeweler saying there is no difference between a multi-thousand dollar Swiss watch and a $5.00 alarm clock. It is just as ridiculous.

I remember a few years ago reading that the president of one of our more well-known seminaries made the statement that the account of Moses and the burning bush was just a figment of some good Jew's imagination. I don't know that he has ever retracted his statement. That's absurd! Hopefully, I have shown you how the Bible is so meticulously put together that the theme is never lost. It comes all the way through from start to finish. Everything is in its rightful place. How in the world could 44 men, living over a period of 2000 years, do that without the supernatural? They couldn't.

What I try to emphasize is that you and I can rest on this Book. It is letter perfect (in the original). I realize that all we have are translations and there have been some slight errors in translation. But God has so brooded over His Word that He hasn't allowed any gross error to come in, not even in our translations, so that we can rest on this as the inspired God-breathed, Word of God. When we can just believe it without doubting, whether it is the account of the creation, the Flood, the call of Abraham, the Covenant with the Nation of Israel, the Gospel of the Cross, the writings of Paul or the Book of Revelation, what do we say? - It is the Word of God! It is miraculous from start to finish and we have no room for doubt.

Here is another good example of what I am talking about. Clear back in 2000 BC when no one in Scripture had any idea of God the Son going to a Roman Cross to purchase mankind's redemption. Oh, it was there in latent terms as in Genesis 3:15 where the seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent. Now we know what He was talking about, but they didn't. Even the writers of Scripture didn't understand these things. But God so put all these things into His Word, that it fully assures us that He knew everything from start to finish before it ever happened.

In the middle of Genesis 14:18 we find that Melchizedek brought to Abram bread and wine. They certainly used bread in the worship in the tabernacle - the table of shewbread. The wave offering was the sheaf of grain. Another time they would have drink offerings of wine and they would pour that out, but never was bread and wine associated in combination throughout the Old Testament economy. In the Age of Grace, what does the bread and wine speak of? The Lord's Supper; the Communion Table. . The only way we can really identify that is to go back to Matthew's Gospel where we have The Lord's Supper. Jesus instituted The Lord's Supper at the Last Supper, at the Passover.

Matthew 26:20

"Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve."

Matthew 26:26,27

"And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, `Take, eat; this is my body.' And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, `Drink ye all of it;'"

I'd like to ask a question. Did the disciples understand what all of this stood for? They didn't have the foggiest notion. They followed His directions, but there is no explanation by The Lord Jesus, or even by the writer of this Gospel account, that they had any idea what He was doing. So, we have to wait until we come to the writings of the Apostle Paul. Now we understand what it was all for. Turn with me to I Corinthians, Chapter 11. Here, again, is progressive revelation. The eleven there at the night of the Passover didn't understand it. Jesus didn't explain it; it wasn't time yet. The Lord's Table of the bread and the cup is a memorial of His death, and on the night of the Last Supper His death hadn't taken place yet.

I Corinthians 11:23-26

"For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, `Take, eat; this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.' After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, `This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.'" Verse 26 gives us the explanation. "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lords death till he come.'"

This is the purpose of The Lord's Supper. It is remembering what Christ accomplished on the Cross; that just as in ignominy and shame His Body was broken, the bread is broken. The pouring out of His Blood is, of course, in the cup. Back in Genesis we have the picture of His death, burial and Resurrection, but that's all. All of this is to reassure us that the Word of God is so true. It is so supernatural.

Book 4 LESSON TWO * PART III

When educated men, theologians, (that's what they claim to be) take the Bible and say it is nothing more than a bunch of Jewish legend and myth; or, as others have said, there may be some of the Word of God in it, but not all of it is; as soon as you take out part of it you would lose the fabric of this beautiful thread-work that goes all through Scripture. The main reason for my teaching throughout the last few lessons, is to show that this Book is so supernaturally woven together, we never have to doubt that it is the Word of God. I'll admit that all we have today are translations. The King James (I still like it) is a translation. When I say the Word of God is letter perfect and word perfect, I am referring to the original manuscripts before anyone ever touched them. Portions of every book of the Old Testament were found in the Dead Sea Scrolls; the Book of Isaiah being almost totally intact. Those are the oldest copies of the Word of God that man has come up with so far.

When they translated the Book of Isaiah out of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the King James Version was almost letter perfect. This is when I was assured that I would stay with the King James Version. Even after all the translations and copying, we have a Bible that is nearly error free. Sometimes I'll say I think the King James translators could have used this word or that word, but for the most part it is so accurate that we can just rest upon it.